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Madeline Kripke

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Madeline Kripke
Born(1943-09-09)September 9, 1943
New London, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 2020(2020-04-25) (aged 76)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
EducationBarnard College (B.A.)
Known forCollecting dictionaries
Parent(s)Myer S. Kripke (father)
Dorothy Karp Kripke (mother)
RelativesSaul Kripke (brother)

Madeline Faith Kripke (September 9, 1943 – April 25, 2020) was an American book collector who held one of the world's largest collections of dictionaries.[1]

Early life and education

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Madeline Kripke was born on September 9, 1943, in New London, Connecticut, to mother Dorothy Karp Kripke and father Myer S. Kripke, a rabbi. Kripke's brother was philosopher Saul Kripke,[1] and her sister was Netta Kripke Stern, a social worker.[2] She graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Barnard College.[1]

Dictionary collection and career

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In fifth grade, she recalled receiving a Webster's Collegiate Dictionary from her parents, which she said "unlocked the world for me".[3] Kripke acquired a collection of approximately 20,000 dictionaries in her two-bedroom apartment.[4] The oldest dictionary in her collection was a Latin dictionary published in 1502 by Ambrogio Calepino.[3] She placed a special emphasis on collecting dictionaries regarding obscure slang.[5] Her collection includes the only known copy of Larks of London (1840), a dictionary of slang from the London underworld.[6] Simon Winchester said that her collection of slang dictionaries represented "the very living and breathing edge of the English language".[7] Jesse Sheidlower described her collection as better than that of the Library of Congress.[6]

After graduating from college, Kripke held several jobs, including as a welfare case worker and a teacher. She eventually became an editor and a publisher, doing copyediting and proofreading. She also worked at several bookstores, eventually becoming a book dealer.[3]

After her death, her entire collection was acquired by the Lilly Library at the Indiana University Bloomington.[8]

Death

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Kripke died from complications of COVID-19 in Manhattan during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City on April 25, 2020.[1]

Awards and honors

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Kripke was a founding member of the Dictionary Society of North America and attended every meeting for nearly forty years. In 2015 she was one of six Fellows elected to the Society, its highest honor, along with Anatoly Liberman and John Simpson.[9] She received their Richard W. Bailey Award for Distinguished Service to Lexicography and Lexicology in 2017.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (April 30, 2020). "Madeline Kripke, Doyenne of Dictionaries, Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Martin, Douglas (May 3, 2014). "Rabbi Myer Kripke, Early Buffett Friend and Investor, Dies at 100". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Krieger, Daniel (August 15, 2013). "The Dame of Dictionaries". Narratively. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  4. ^ White, April (November 14, 2023). "The Low Down on the Greatest Dictionary Collection in the World". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Lubovich, Wendy (June 9, 2016). "Inside a Book Editor's Legendary Home Library". The Cut. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Robinson, Sal (February 4, 2014). "Madeline Kripke's incredible dictionary collection". Melville House. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  7. ^ Winchester, Simon (March 8, 2012). "The Mongrel Speech of the Streets". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Lilly Library acquires more than 20,000 linguistic books collected by 'Dame of Dictionaries'". News at IU. October 15, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Shea, Ammon (2015). "DSNA Elects Six New Fellows" (PDF). DSNA Newsletter. p. 8. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS – CASSIDY and BAILEY AWARDS". Dictionary Society of North America. March 20, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
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